FARMVILLE, Va. – USC Upstate men's soccer won its third straight match with a 1-0 shutout at Longwood Sunday evening to remain unbeaten at 4-0-1 in Big South play, 4-2-1 overall.
Goalkeeper Felipe Baeza was solid in net for Upstate and turned away two shots on target to record his first shutout of the year, fourth as a Spartan.
The Spartans have now won four conference games in a season for the first time in Upstate's Division I era, and the first time as a program since 2006 as a DII member of the Peach Belt Conference.
Pol Monells led the Spartans with six shots in the match, five of them coming in the second half.
Both teams had solid offensive opportunities early on as Upstate's first chance came in the first minute when Pascal Corvino put a shot on net 39 seconds in.
Longwood responded shortly after with three shots and a corner kick in a span of 30 seconds. The first shot was saved by Baeza while the other two were blocked by Upstate defenders.
In the 28th minute, Monells sent a sharp pass up to Jeremy Montero in the box who was able to beat the Longwood keeper with a strike over his head to get Upstate on the board 1-0. That would ultimately prove to be all Upstate needed in the match, despite plenty more chances.
The Spartans started off strong on the attack in the second half as Montero had a shot broken up by a Longwood defender in the first 30 seconds. Shortly after, Monells took a free kick that Justin Hynes made contact with, but deflected the ball above the cross bar.
Hynes later had a crucial defensive stop in the 53rd minute that prevented a shot on goal from the Lancers.
Baeza scooped up a free kick in the last 30 seconds of the match to keep a clean sheet and seal the victory for the Spartans.
Scoring Summary
28' – Upstate – Jeremy Montero (Assisted by Pol Monells)
Card Summary
42' – Upstate – Jimmy James (Yellow)
42' – Upstate – Team (Yellow)
45' – Longwood – Owen Ludlow (Yellow)
75' – Upstate – Filippo Censini (Yellow)
89' – Upstate – Pascal Corvino (Yellow)
UP next for the Spartans
Upstate stays on the road next when they travel to UNC Asheville in a week. Kick-off is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 21 against the Bulldogs.
Spartans Win Today, You Save Tomorrow!
Save 50% off online orders at Papa John's locations across the Upstate. Use the code USCUP50 when placing online orders the day after Upstate victories. Also tomorrow, visit The Beacon Drive-In located in Spartanburg and show the win graphic posted to the @UpstateSpartans Instagram account to claim a free sweet tea as part of the "Sweet Taste of Victory" promotion. No purchase necessary.
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